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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. last — final
  10. present — there
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. present — the time now
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a document
  15. lie — to recline
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. file — a tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a line
  23. file — a line of people
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com